One of the B.C.’s oldest golf courses made the most of Leap Day in 2024.
Penticton Golf and Country Club opened for the season on Thursday, Feb. 29, welcoming players from across the region on a mild winter day.
With its opening at 9 a.m., the club became the first 18-hole course in the Okanagan to open in 2024.
“We like to be the first in the valley,” said Kris Paul-Clark, the head golf professional at the 102-year-old course. “There’s people from Kamloops and Kelowna here today enjoying a round.”
Paul-Clark said it was a busy Thursday at the course, with tee times fully booked and golfers unfazed by the light snow and showers that have come down in recent days.
Other Penticton golf courses, like WOW and Skaha Meadows, are open but only offer nine holes of play.
“We were hoping to open for the weekend, but thought ‘why not do it early and take advantage of the Leap Year,’” Paul-Clark said with a laugh. “People are always looking forward to getting back out there.”
Elsewhere in the Okanagan, 18-hole courses in Kelowna and Vernon have contended with wetter-than-normal conditions, delaying opening day for golf in the Central and North Okanagan.
Golf season is back in Penticton but Thursday night’s forecast is suggesting otherwise.
Environment Canada says local temperatures could drop as low as -2 C at night, with a 30 per cent chance of flurries.
Daytime marks, from March 1 to 4, will range between 3 to 6 C. A chance of flurries or showers remain in the forecast through the beginning of next week.
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